Mounce Archive 11 — How Do You Properly Use Greek in the Pulpit?
Everyone needs a break once in a while, and Bill Mounce is taking one from his weekly column on biblical Greek until September. Meanwhile, we’ve hand-picked some classic, popular posts from the “Mondays with Mounce” archive for your summer reading and Greek-studying pleasure.
Today’s “classic” asks a question I often asked when I was actively preaching: How do you use Greek (and Hebrew) properly?
Mounce’s wisdom and advice applies to seasoned pastor and seminary student alike, because as he suggests it all begins with homework, whether inside or outside seminary: “If you aren’t doing your homework in Greek, or if you don’t have some facility in Greek,” important discussions of grammar and clausal relationships are “almost meaningless.”
But then he get’s practical, recalling someone who asked “Can I not trust my Bible?” after he corrected an English version: “Ouch! So…
Why Don’t We Have A Plural “You”?
A number of readers responded to yesterday’s Monday with Mounce by suggesting “y’all” in Southern dialect (and ye, thou, etc. in King James era English) solve the problem of plural “you” in New Testament translation.
But what about here in the Midwest, or other regions outside the South that don’t have an equivalent of “y’all” to turn to?
Presumably we had such a word at one time, if English from the KJV or Geneva Bible is anything to go by.
So why did those words pass from our language without being replaced?
I don’t have an answer, but if anyone reading this does please feel free to share. There must be a journal article or something out there that examines this phenomenon, particularly as it seems like such a glaring weakness in modern day English.
Word Study: Koinonia 3
This past weekend I watched portions of the Saddleback Civil Forum, where Rick Warren interviewed the two presidential candidates. The one who really impressed me was the interviewer himself. I have always respected Rick Warren but was encouraged how wise and thoughtful "America’s Pastor" really is. The questions he asked were much more intelligent than the answers either candidate gave.
This led me to look in his book for this week’s study of the word koinonia. He published a book called Personal Bible Study Methods a while back (which a small publishing house has since taken over). In this book, Dr. Warren shows the reader 12 ways to engage the Bible with 12 different study methods. One of these is the "words study method" which I wanted to apply today.
Word Study: Koinonia 2
"There is nothing like the local church when the church is being the church."
– Bill Hybels
Last week I attended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit at a satellite campus here is Grand Rapids. As in my previous experiences, I came away energized and excited to implement my new learning. One of the ideas that stuck out to me the most this most recent Summit was from the very first session by Bill Hybels.
Hybels referenced Acts 2.46, "Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." He spoke about an axiom of his called this is church.